Fall Break – Day Two: Headaches, Heartstrings and High Jinks

Wow. Getting back to reality and regular schedules is a buster! If I’m lucky, perhaps I’ll finish posting about our fall break by winter break.

Day Two:

Part of our planning for Fall Break included strategizing what days we would go to what parks. Since we made arrangements to attend Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween the second evening, we figured it would be best to go to a smaller park earlier that day. Therefore, we decided on the Animal Kingdom (my favorite).

Upon arrival, we made a beeline for Africa and the Kilimanjaro Safari. I remembered being tremendously impressed with the safari habitat the first (and only other) time we went to Animal Kingdom. I also recalled the ride being bumpy – but not enough to deter my husband (newly recovered from back surgery) and me (in my first trimester of pregnancy with YK) from taking OK and MK on the expedition. Funny how some memories fade over time (e.g., the degree of pain that accompanies child birth, the relentless jolting of an open-air safari vehicle). In addition to pictures included in this post, here is another that I captured between bounces:

Jarring aside, the excursion was great . . . with one exception. Midway through, OK announced she had a headache. This could’ve been cause for panic because she gets Complex (or Complicated) Migraines. While no migraine is simple, this type is particularly alarming in that it can cause symptoms similar to that of a stroke (partial vision loss, slurring of speech, and numbness on one side of the body). Medicines used to treat “standard” migraines contain agents that could cause permanent damage if taken while experiencing these stroke-like symptoms. So it is especially important to administer the proper medication as quickly as possible.

Although OK had not had a migraine in three months, I erred on the side of caution and packed her prescription . . . in the backpack . . . with a bottle of water. I credit maternal instinct and years of Girl Scout training for being so well prepared. But the true Super Star was OK. With the determination of a champion bull rider, she held on to the bucking bronco safari truck with one hand while gulping down her med.

When the safari was over, my tough girl said she was game for tackling the Kali River Rapids in Asia. When the five of us hopped on the ride we were, of course, nice and dry. By the end, four of us were decently drenched and one was completely water logged . . . poor little YK. I’m talking drowned rat soaked! As “luck” would have it there were towels available for purchase at every shop and souvenir stand. Cute, don’t you think?

Based on recommendations from friends, I had made reservations for lunch at Tusker House (African fare). But with OK needing rest and YK needing dry, well, everything, we decided to cut our time at the park extra short. Here are my precious monkeys waiting for the shuttle:

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil

After warm showers and rest, OK and YK joined MK in getting decked out for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween.

Luigi, Harry Potter (Yes, Harry. Not Hermione.) and Spiderman

I admit that I was skeptical. Would the experience really be worth the price of admission? I’m pleased to say it was! Disney’s trademark magical atmosphere combined with loads of costumed guests surely makes Halloween the most festive time of year at the Magic Kingdom. And, apparently, it is the only time of the year that all of the seven dwarfs appear together in the park.

As a young child, I was rather fascinated with all things Snow White (especially the evil queen). So, as silly as it sounds, I decided that getting a picture with Sneezy, Happy, Sleepy, Doc, Bashful, Grumpy and Dopey was a MUST! The line was sooooo long that the rest of the family opted to hit trick-or-treating spots while I waited – feeling out of place because, among other things, I was one of a few not in costume.

Just ahead of me in line was a couple dressed as Snow White and the Prince. Cynical Blake thought it was a bit cheesy. But when they were finally standing among the dwarfs, I decided their costumes were cute afterall. Then cute turned into adorably priceless when the Prince suddenly got down on one knee and surprised his Snow White (and the rest of the crowd) with a marriage proposal! This isn’t the best quality, but I managed to capture the moment:

My family had officially abandoned me by the time I was next in line. So here I am, looking completely ridiculous. Is it just me or does it look like I’m goosing Bashful??

And so the report on Day Two ends on a happy (or should I say dopey?) note. 😉